Language
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Leonard Bloomfield's book Language (1933) was a foundational text in 20th-century linguistics, particularly in the United States. Bloomfield advocated for a scientific approach to language study, emphasizing empirical description and adhering to behaviorist principles. He proposed that linguistic phenomena could be studied in isolation from their non-linguistic context, focusing on observable data rather than mental concepts.123
A key concept introduced by Bloomfield was the morpheme, defined as a minimal grammatical unit within a word, identified by partial phonetic-semantic resemblance within sets of words. His followers, known as Bloomfieldians, further developed these methods, often focusing on morphology and syntax while largely neglecting semantics due to its perceived elusiveness. This approach aimed to develop systematic procedures for linguistic analysis.4235
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linguisticsStructural linguistics in America…version with the new title Language; this book dominated the field for the next 30 years. In it Bloomfield explicitly adopted a behaviouristic approach to the study of language, eschewing in the name of scientific objectivity all reference to mental or conceptual categories. Of particular consequence was his adoption of…
Read More…version with the new title Language; this book dominated the field for the next 30 years. In it Bloomfield explicitly adopted a behaviouristic approach to the study of language, eschewing in the name of scientific objectivity all reference to mental or conceptual categories. Of particular consequence was his adoption of…
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In his textbook Language (1933), he had himself adopted a behaviouristic theory of meaning, defining the meaning of a linguistic form as “the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response which it calls forth in the hearer.” Furthermore, he subscribed, in principle at least, to…
Read MoreIn his textbook Language (1933), he had himself adopted a behaviouristic theory of meaning, defining the meaning of a linguistic form as “the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response which it calls forth in the hearer.” Furthermore, he subscribed, in principle at least, to…
Read More